One Precious Life
Last week, a friend died. There was no long, drawn-out illness, no last good-byes. He was 41, married, with two little boys and had a heart attack.
And like that, his circle of friends was left standing with a hole in it and an unshakeable sadness.
It is impossible to try to make sense of something like this. His wife was given a paper angel by one of their boys on the morning that he died. Grief comes in waves, and it can be hard to swim against.
This morning, as I tried to work, to write about Chipotle and McDonald’s, all I could think about was this quote by Mary Oliver:
We are only here once. We have inherited systems, food systems, health care systems, other systems, that no longer work for 21st century families. We can spend months picking them apart, or we can spend our days building better ones.
The landscape in front of us is wide open. Each of us is here with a very unique set of skills and talents. We need all hands on deck. The legacy is ours to create.
“So tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Written in memory of Peter Johnson with such gratitude for the kindness that he brought into the world.
